Four
by DrKCooper
Summary: How I imagined "Killer In High Heels" (4x04) ending. Multi-chapter fic. K rating to begin, may change. Eventual Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: All recognizable _Rizzoli & Isles_ characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners including, but not limited to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fan fiction story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No financial gain is associated with the publishing of this story. No copyright infringement is intended._

_Author's Note: "Killer In High Heels" (4x04) is truly the episode that spawned a thousand fanfiction ideas. I can't get it out of my head! Here is my humble offering, a post-ep and not my usual one-shot. Expect 4 or so chapters. –DKC_

**Four**

"You have no idea how good it is to see you in your office doing work," Jane drawled as she leaned against the doorframe of Maura's office.

Maura looked up from the file she was reviewing and smiled at her best friend. She took her reading glasses off, resting them on the stack of files on the side table next to the couch in her office.

"Nobody would think any less of you if you went home, you know," the detective walked into the office, closing the door behind her.

Jane approached Maura, sitting down next to her on the uncomfortable couch. She found herself at a loss as to what to say to Maura. Apologizing was her first instinct, but she knew that Maura would remind her she was merely doing her job.

"Don't you find it problematic that the Commonwealth couldn't bring in a replacement M.E. prior to my returning from, well, jail?" Maura asked. "On any given day there could be ten new cases in that amount of time."

Jane leaned her head against the back of the couch, looking out the corner of her eye at the doctor.

"Luckily the chief M.E. doesn't get arrested every day," the tone of Jane's voice erased the sarcastic intent of her statement.

There was pain in Jane's voice. She couldn't get over having arrested her best friend. She couldn't get over her own mother turning over evidence that could have put Maura behind bars indefinitely. Maura knew Jane well enough to know how hard her friend was being on herself. There was nothing Maura could say that would stop Jane from beating herself up. Instead, Maura reached over and took Jane's hand.

The two women sat in silence for several minutes, hand in hand.

"I would have thrown my career away, Maur," Jane's voice cracked.

Squeezing Jane's hand tighter, Maura knew exactly what Jane was referring to. She knew that if Angela had taken the video to Jane, Jane would have obstructed justice for Maura.

"I would have thrown my career away and I wouldn't have thought twice."

Maura, already sitting with her body facing Jane, leaned forward until she was in Jane's space. She wanted Jane to listen to her and she knew that getting in Jane's space would force that.

"My entire life I have never known anyone as ethical as you," the doctor insisted.

Jane turned her head to look at Maura, realizing just how close Maura's face was to her own. She found her gaze dropping from the dark circles under Maura's eyes to Maura's soft lips.

"What does being ethical matter if it puts someone I love behind bars?" Jane rasped.

"Jane…" Maura noticed where Jane's eyes had locked and found her own breath hitching at the realization.

Jane looked up, making eye contact with the doctor. There was something there that hadn't been there before. There was always love, Jane knew, but there was something even deeper.

"I would have done it, Maur, and I wouldn't have regretted it for a second," Jane breathed, her lips oh so close to Maura's.

"I know," came the soft response as both women anticipated the touching of their lips.

"Dr. Isles?" Susie Chang knocked once before abruptly opening the door into her boss's office.

Jane and Maura pulled back, but they continued holding hands.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in here, Detective Rizzoli," Susie knew she had interrupted a moment.

"Don't worry about it," Jane responded.

"Can I help you, Senior Criminalist Chang?" Maura managed to say, still stunned by the sudden intrusion preventing her from closing the distance to kiss her best friend.

"Did you want to start the Henderson autopsy this afternoon?" Susie wondered.

Jane looked at Maura and saw the doctor worrying her lip between her teeth. She knew Maura was being honest earlier in the lobby when she said she wanted to get back to work, but she also knew that it had been a long 24 hours and her friend needed to properly process what she'd just been through.

"Dr. Isles will be leaving early, Susie. The autopsy can wait until tomorrow," Jane informed Susie, hoping Maura wouldn't be upset with the executive decision just made.

"I will see you both in the morning then," Susie responded, slightly taken aback by Jane answering for her boss.

Susie walked out of the office, closing the door behind her. Maura looked to Jane with a curious look on her face.

"Jane?" Maura inquired.

"I'm taking you home."

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: I failed to mention that I was asked by kbprincess3 to write my take on "Killer In High Heels" (4x04). Hopefully it is living up to expectations. Thanks for all the great reviews! -dkc_

**Chapter 2**

Jane held the door open for Maura and watched her visibly exhausted friend walk into her home. Her heart broke to see Maura like this, but she knew better than to perceive her best friend as fragile.

"Are you hungry?" Jane asked once she'd closed the door.

"No, I just need to shower…again," Maura's voice was distant.

Jane walked up behind the shorter woman, placing her hand on her shoulder. She couldn't begin to imagine how violated Maura must feel after having to strip in front of her colleagues and then be taken to the hospital for a rape kit.

"I can…" Jane began to offer.

"Just be here, Jane," Maura knew Jane would have done anything for her, including helping her with the shower.

As Maura headed for the bathroom her mind went over the dozen times they had been right here. There had been too many times that they had returned home after a crisis or the near death of one of them. She wouldn't call it routine, but there certainly was something casual about the way the two women dealt with the aftermath. Maura let out a sigh as she closed the door to her en suite bathroom and began to undress. As she saw the bruises on her arms again, she cracked. Tears began to stream down her face.

Jane stood in Maura's kitchen and listened to the slight movements in the part of the house where Maura had retreated. The detective rubbed her eyes and fidgeted with her hands before deciding to go sit in Maura's bedroom just in case her friend needed her. As Jane reached the bedroom, she heard sobbing on the other side of the bathroom door. Her heart was shattering.

"Maur," Jane whispered, her hand lightly rapping against the door.

The doctor reached for her satin robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. She wiped her now red and puffy eyes before opening the door to Jane.

"Oh, honey," Jane stepped forward to wrap Maura in her arms.

"I'm being ridiculous," Maura cried.

"You are not," Jane assured.

The two stood just inside Maura's bathroom for several minutes, the doctor sobbing into Jane's chest.

"Why don't we skip the shower and we'll get you into bed," Jane pulled back to look at Maura who had one eyebrow quirked up.

"You know what I mean. For a nap," Jane shrugged off the silent teasing.

"Will you stay?" Maura's voice was rough, broken from the tears.

"Of course," Jane answered quickly. "If you get dressed."

Jane offered Maura a smirk, resuming the slight teasing that Maura had initiated.

"And if I don't?" Maura returned the smirk.

"Deal's off," Jane responded, a blush making its way across her face.

Maura walked past Jane to the dresser where she began rummaging through her yoga clothes. The routine-oriented doctor was unaccustomed to putting on lounge clothes in the middle of the day. She pulled out a camisole and pair of shorts for herself and a pair of shorts for Jane knowing that Jane would have on a tank top under her button up and may eventually want to get out of her work clothes. She smiled at the thought of how many times they'd prepared for bed like this together.

"What?" Jane noticed the smile on Maura's face as her friend turned around.

"This is nice," Maura handed Jane a pair of shorts.

"What is?" Jane gripped the shorts and Maura's outstretched hand.

"Routine. You and me," the doctor's eyes dropped from Jane's and the detective knew Maura wasn't saying everything she was thinking.

"Maura…" Jane's rasp was deeper than usual as she stared at her best friend.

When Maura's eyes once again lifted to lock on Jane's, Jane saw tears there. She dropped the shorts she was holding on the end of Maura's bed and stepped forward to take Maura in her arms.

"We'll get past this," Jane whispered, kissing the crown of Maura's head.

"This?" Maura muttered into Jane's shoulder.

Jane pulled back slightly so she could see Maura.

"Are we having the same conversation?" Jane asked, knowing that she had meant Maura having been arrested and also knowing that Maura wasn't referring to that.

"Jane…" Maura's pleading hazel eyes looked up at Jane.

Jane took a deep breath, raising her hands to Maura's hair. She looked at her best friend with every bit of love, adoration and affection she had for the woman. It never seemed so right to be standing emotionally naked in front of Maura before.

"I…" Jane began, but stopped herself as she leaned into Maura, kissing her softly.

It was the gentlest kiss Maura had ever experienced. While it didn't last long, it soothed Maura's very being. As their lips broke contact, Maura dropped her head to Jane's chest. Jane kissed the top of her head softly as she breathed in the lavender scent that was so characteristically Jane. Maura felt her body relax into Jane as the detective dropped a hand to the small of her back.

"You should rest," Jane hummed against the top of Maura's head.

"Don't leave," Maura demanded.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Jane pulled her friend tighter to her body before kissing her head once more. "Put on your clothes and I'll lie with you."

Maura slipped into the bathroom to do as she was told. She didn't want Jane to see her body like this once again, yet she realized the camisole would not cover up the dark bruises on her forearms. It was Jane. If there was anyone in the world she trusted with all of her, good and bad, it was Jane.

As Maura walked into the bedroom, she saw Jane had pulled back the covers for Maura while lying on top of the covers on the other side of the bed. Maura crawled in, her back to Jane. Jane placed the blankets over Maura and wrapped an arm tightly around her.

"Thank you, Jane," Maura said as she relaxed into the detective once again.

"It's just a nap, Maur," Jane's lips were just above Maura's ear.

"It's so much more," Maura mumbled as her body quickly surrendered to sleep.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: This piece will continue as is regardless of what happens with tonight's episode. Or at least I think so without having seen tonight's episode yet… One last cliffhanger for which I ask your forgiveness. -dkc_

**Chapter 3**

Maura woke to an empty bed. She could hear noises from the kitchen, but opted for a shower before joining Jane. Jane. The doctor placed a finger to her lips remembering the soft kiss they had shared. A smile surfaced on her face.

Once Maura had showered and dressed she wandered to the kitchen where she saw Jane standing over the stove.

"Hi," Maura said quietly as she entered the room.

"Did you sleep well?" Jane turned and smiled at her friend.

"Yes. How long was I out?" she took a seat on one of the island stools.

"Several hours. I thought you might be hungry when you woke," Jane held out a spoon for Maura to sample the sauce.

"Mmm…" Maura hummed as she tasted the rich pasta sauce. "I am quite hungry."

"It will be ready in a few minutes," Jane said, turning the stove down to simmer and stepping around the island to stand in next to Maura.

"Jane?" Maura turned her body toward the tall brunette.

"We don't have to…" Jane started to brush off any conversation about the kiss.

"I want to," Maura cut her off.

Jane's face reflected the fear she was feeling. Had she taken advantage of Maura at a vulnerable point? Would Maura regret that her arrest is what forced the issue? Jane didn't care about her own feelings. She worried about Maura and whether she had hurt Maura.

"Stop thinking and kiss me," Maura demanded.

The detective's wide grin expressed Jane's relief that Maura wanted this, too. She leaned down to the seated doctor and pressed her lips against the woman's. Maura's hand quickly tangled in Jane's unruly hair as she forced their kiss to a place the previous one never had time to reach. Maura's tongue traced Jane's upper lip before slipping into her wanting mouth. Eventually both women desperately needed air. The look they shared was electric. Jane leaned forward, kissing Maura's forehead while the doctor's hand rested on the back of her neck.

"Maura!" suddenly Angela came in the side door from the guesthouse, hauling with her several grocery bags.

"Ma!" Jane admonished her mother as Maura's hand dropped from the detective's neck.

"Oh, Janie. Help me with these bags," Angela asked.

Jane rolled her eyes for Maura to see and mouthed 'sorry' before taking bags from her mother. There was a tension in the room and not just because their kiss had been interrupted. How Maura was going to interact with Angela after the Rizzoli matriarch turned over that video to Lt. Cavanaugh had yet to be seen.

"Maura, I…" Angela began, but was cut off by the usually passive doctor.

"Angela, I am not ready to have this conversation."

Jane looked at Maura and was surprised by how upfront she was with her mother. As Jane well knew, the only way to deal with her mother was to be blunt and, at times, brutally honest.

"Oh," Angela looked at the counter and appeared as if she might cry.

"Ma, it's going to take some time," Jane noticed Maura slump at Angela's response and quickly placed a hand of support on her shoulder.

"Well, that's understandable. I did a terrible thing," Angela said as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I brought food, obviously. It wouldn't be a family crisis without food."

"Thank you, Angela," Maura said quietly, leaning further toward Jane.

"I'll leave you girls alone. I'll be in the guesthouse if you need me. Either of you," Angela looked straight at Maura with her last remark.

"Bye, Ma."

As Angela walked back out the door, Jane quickly wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulders.

"I wasn't prepared to face her," Maura said.

"Take whatever time you need. Hell, if you don't ever want to face her, that would be totally acceptable."

"Jane…" Maura looked as if she was about to fall apart.

"Let's eat dinner and then we can sort it all out," Jane leaned down and kissed the top of Maura's head while giving her shoulders one last squeeze. "Pasta can solve all the world's problems."

The two women sat at the kitchen island eating their pasta and talking quietly about anything they could think of that didn't have to do with the last two days. Their outer thighs and shoulders touched. Jane couldn't bear being any further from her best friend, this woman for whom she felt so strongly.

As they both finished their dinner, Jane stood to clear their dishes, but was suddenly stopped by Maura's grip on her forearm. Jane looked at Maura and saw something that she had only had a glimpse of earlier—need. Jane's eyes darkened as she placed her bowl back on the counter and turned to press her lips into Maura's. This kiss displayed every emotion both women had felt over the past twenty-four hours. There was an urgency fueling Jane, similar to the urgency of fear as she tried to determine who had done the crime Maura was accused of having committed. There was gentility, too. Only with Maura could Jane Rizzoli be urgent, fierce and gentle. In Maura there were contrasting emotions, emotions that didn't mirror Jane's. Maura pressed her mouth into Jane's almost out of necessity, as if she could not continue to exist as a person without Jane. The urgency of fear that Jane expressed was countered by the constant want in Maura. They were fire and ice; they always had been.

"Jane…" Maura moaned as Jane's mouth traced the doctor's jaw and reached the apex of her neck. "Jane," her tone was more forceful now.

"Hmm?" the sensation against Maura's neck caused her to lose focus.

Jane chuckled as she realized Maura was lost in the feeling of Jane's mouth against her neck. Her speechless friend needed leading, something Jane never imagined she would be the one to do if this situation ever arose.

"What do you want, Maur?" Jane's voice was firm, yet raspy.

"I want to go back," Maura mumbled.

"Go back where?" Jane asked, now trailing kisses down Maura's neck while listening intently.

"That night. I want to go back so I can make the right decision."

"Which was? You couldn't have known he was lying to you," Jane ceased kissing Maura that she might look in her friend's eyes.

"Going home with you. That's the right decision for me. That's where I belong," Maura's eyes were soft and loving.

Jane took Maura's hands in hers and looked lovingly at this woman who meant the world to her. Her voice cracked as she attempted the question again.

"What do you want?"

Maura tilted her head down, glimpsing their clenched hands. When her eyes returned to Jane's there was certitude in those hazel eyes that accompanied her answer.

"You."

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: I said this story wouldn't change based on this week's episode and it doesn't. However, in this week's episode they mention that Angela is visiting her sister. I took that and, well, you'll see how I incorporated it. Your reviews have truly made my week. Thank you all. To answer one question in the comments, the title is "Four" partly because of the episode being the fourth of the fourth season. Also, this is the final chapter—four. It was my way of getting around having to give this story a real title. Like Jane and Maura not being able to put a label on their relationship, I can't put a label on stories. Oh, and bonus points to the reader who can identify where I got the idea for the first part of this piece. -dkc_

**Chapter 4**

_Jane took Maura's hands in hers and looked lovingly at this woman who meant the world to her. Her voice cracked as she attempted the question again._

"_What do you want?"_

_Maura tilted her head down, glimpsing their clenched hands. When her eyes returned to Jane's there was certitude in those hazel eyes that accompanied her answer._

"_You."_

…

There were tears welling up in Jane's eyes as she held Maura's hands and attempted to process what Maura was telling her. This admission, their admission, was something Jane had imagined but convinced herself would always be just fantasy.

"Maura…" Jane drawled.

Jane couldn't find words. She felt as if she was in a dream that she couldn't control, her life moving along without her input. As the detective struggled for words, the doctor over thought what Jane might be about to say.

"Listen to me. To be clear, I'm letting you off the hook, Jane. You're off the hook. If finding Hope and learning who my father is have taught me anything, it is that we don't always get to choose the people in our lives, but when we do have a choice, we have to get it right. I am determined to be happy, Jane, happy in this life. I am determined to love with everything I have. And I love you. I have always, always loved you. At times, this, this love for you, is all I've had."

The eye contact between the two women was never broken. Tears streamed down Jane's face, something Maura couldn't read. She didn't want to misinterpret what those tears meant.

"Maura, I…" Jane's voice cracked.

"Hold on," Maura stopped her. "I'm not done. My want for you is for you to be happy. I want that more than anything I want for myself. Your relationship with Casey made me realize that I want you to be with someone, whether him or some man you haven't even met yet. I want you to be with someone who can be a part of the life that you want for yourself. I want you to be with someone who makes you feel the way I feel when I'm with you. My point is that being in love with you is enough for me. You're off the hook."

The doctor dropped her hands to her lap and her eyes followed them. There was both defeat and relief in her tenor. Telling Jane that she loved her was a big step for the emotionally isolated doctor.

"Guess what?" Jane's hand titled Maura's chin up so she could look into her eyes. "I don't want to be let off the hook."

"Jane…" Maura's tone was similar to that of when she was behind bars—broken. "Please don't miss my point. I am okay with this."

"And don't miss mine, Maura. I love you. You know that. I would do anything for you. That is very real, even more so since I realized I would obstruct justice without a second thought for you. It is so real that it has kept me moving, mostly running from it, never ready to embrace or admit it. I can't be let off the hook because I just might get the notion that it's okay to keep running."

Now tears streamed from Maura's eyes as she looked at her best friend in the world and the woman that she loved. Her worry and fear was unjustified. Slowly Jane's lips met hers. The kiss was as soft and gentle as their first kiss, but it quickly became sensual, passionate and needy. Maura, at her full height, wrapped her arms around Jane's neck and pressed her body against the detective's. Their bodies were like two puzzle pieces designed to fit precisely together, belonging together for the bigger picture to work. As they broke for air, Maura realized how hopelessly her body needed this contact.

"Jane, I want you to take me upstairs," Maura whispered. "But I don't want the first time we make love to always remind me, us, of my arrest and the horrific last two days."

"I completely understand," Jane pulled Maura tight against her slim frame.

"Could we just lie down? You and me?" Maura requested.

"Yes."

Maura led the way to her bedroom where the two women settled comfortably on the bed. Jane's arms held Maura against her. Holding Maura gave Jane the chance to feel Maura's backside against the places she hoped they could explore soon. She smiled at the thought. Of all the things to happen after a night out at a charity event, life had truly been a whirlwind.

"How do I face your mother, Jane?" Maura hummed, the seriousness in her voice breaking Jane's heart.

"You don't have to do anything until you are ready."

"She lives in my guesthouse. I can't avoid it," Maura interlinked her fingers with Jane's closest hand.

"Ma has been wanting to visit my aunt for awhile now. I could suggest that she go sooner rather than later. That would give you some time," Jane kissed the top of Maura's head and rested her chin where her lips had just been.

"Is that too much to ask of her?" Maura bit her lip in worry.

"Oh, sweetie. Given what she did, if you asked her to jump off a cliff, that wouldn't be too much to ask."

"Will we be able to fix this?" Maura's voice cracked with emotion.

"You are a saint. You have forgiven me for far worse than what Ma did. I have no doubt that it can be fixed and I am going to be next to you every step of the way."

Maura turned her head and shifted in Jane's arms until their faces were just an inch apart. Jane offered Maura a slight smile, hope behind it.

"There are few things in my life I would have been able to face without you by my side. You being by my side, offering a gentle nudge and a hand to hold is something I have always had faith in," Maura whispered before pressing her lips to the brunette's.

"The great Dr. Isles has faith in something other than the scientific method?" Jane teased, though she was touched by what Maura had said.

"You, Jane. I have faith in you."

With that, Jane tightened her arms around Maura and reveled in the feeling. Her heart was full.

_-finis-_


End file.
